Red Strokes
by Soultra
Summary: A beautiful new Gummi suddenly appears one day and seems to catch of the eye of a certain artist. Are Sunni's suspicions real or is she just jealous? Complete story - please r


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Red Strokes

The golden sun hung in the azure sky, but the heat it radiated seemed diluted somehow by the time it reached the Earth. Perhaps, it was the icy fingers of the wind that snatched away the warmth as it slipped almost silently through the forest. Despite the fact it was still technically summer, the leaves had begun changing color slightly and already the birds were in search of warmer climates. It looked as if summer was already packing its bags to leave for the year.

Standing among the Gummi Berry Bushes, Gruffi studied the sky and was disturbed at the dark clouds gathering along the horizon like a spreading bruise. Shaking his head, he went back to picking the Gummi Berries along with the other Gummies. It was far earlier than the usual fall harvest, but there was something about this weather he didn't like. What if the frost came early? They had to be ready.

Cubbi and Sunni were picking the berries with far less enthusiasm. "Why do we have to do this now," Cubbi complained, "It's still summer."

"Yeah," agreed Sunni as she looked down at her hands, "And the juice is staining my fingers."

"This is no time to complain," Gruffi announced, "All the seasonal signs indicate the frost is coming early and once the frost comes we won't be able to harvest anymore berries until spring."

"We know," Sunni mumbled, gloomily.

Zummi, who had been listening to the conversation, moved closer to the two younger Gummies. "Gruffi's right you know," he said, "You can never be too careful. Did you ever hear about the Great Freeze?"

"No," Cubbi answered, looking interested.

"Tell us," Sunni pleaded.

Gruffi gave Zummi a warning look, which meant he didn't care if he told the story but they better keep picking berries, so Zummi positioned himself and the others so they could work while they listened. "The Great Freeze," he began, "occurred many years ago. It was a summer, much like this one. The Great Gummies noticed the signs of an early fall, but no one thought it would come as early as it did. On August 16, they awoke only to find the forest covered in snow. There were no perries left to bick, er, I mean there were no berries left to pick. Everything was frozen solid."

"What happened?" Cubbi asked.

"It was a terribly hard winter for everyone," Zummi responded, "There was some food stored for the winter, but not nearly enough and there was no Gummi Berry Juice for months. Many came close to starving, but finally spring came."

"Thank goodness," Sunni said.

"I've never heard of snow in August," Cubbi stated.

"But it could happen," insisted Zummi, "I have a book about the Great Freeze in the library if you would like to read about it."

Gruffi nodded wordlessly, pleased with Zummi's story, as he moved over closer to Tummi who had the habit of eating more berries than he picked. Meanwhile, Grammi had stopped to stretch slightly, her hands on her lower back. "Early fall or not," she said, "I need a break. My back is killing me. Hey, what's that?"

Everyone spun around and looked in the direction she was pointing. Someone was walking down the path towards them in slow, jerky steps. The figure came into view and they realized they were looking at another Gummi Bear. She was covered in dirt and mud and her hair was sticking out in dirty clumps. The dress she was wearing was torn and ragged and it was impossible to tell what color it had been. She continued to walk towards them jerkily, like a bad marionette.

"It's a Gummi," Zummi said in an amazed tone, "And she looks like she needs our help." 

Dropping their berry baskets, they ran over to her and began asking if she was okay. She looked at them with wide-open and frightened eyes. "I, I…" She stammered before fainting. Gruffi caught her before she hit the ground and began carrying her towards the Glen, the others following close behind.

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Gusto came running into the Glen with his usual explosion of energy. "Inspiration struck!" he immediately announced, waving a new painting around, "And boy, did it strike! I didn't know…" His voice trailed off when he noticed the others sitting around the table looking both distracted and expectant. Grammi and Sunni was no where to be seen. "What's going on?" he asked, calmly.

Gruffi looked at him for a moment, not sure whether to be more amazed at his ability to get out of work or at the speed his mood could change. "Another Gummi came to us while we we're PICKING BERRIES," he carefully stressed the words, hoping Gusto would remember he was supposed to have been there too. "She passed out and we brought her back to the Glen. She woke up a minute ago and Grammi and Sunni are helping her clean up."

"What? Wow! Another Gummi!" Gusto exclaimed, as Gruffi shook his head slightly. He just had to get Gusto started up again. "When can I meet her? Where's she from? Do you think she would agree to pose for a portrait?"

Before Gruffi could even attempt to answer, Grammi and Sunni came back into the room and all eyes turned towards them. "We would like to present," Grammi announced, as Sunni giggled slightly at Grammi's performance, "the newcomer." They stepped aside allowing the new Gummi to step into the room.

To say that she was pretty was like saying the North Pole is a bit chilly. She was, by far, one of the most beautiful Gummies they had ever seen. Her fur was a dark pink, just a shade darker than Cubbi's and her hair was a brilliant, shiny red that hung past her waist in perfect ringlets. Her dark eyes sparkled and her smile was both charming and a touch mischievous. The white dress she was wearing, an old one of Grammi's no doubt, was a perfect compliment to her dark red hair and delicate build. It was several minutes before anyone spoke.

"Hi," she finally said, bowing her head slightly as if embarrassed, "It's nice to meet all of you."

As if her speaking broke the spell, all of the Gummies rushed about her and began asking her questions. She told them she didn't remember anything since this morning when she awoke nearby with a horrible headache.

"Must be amnesia," Gruffi stated.

"I guess so," she said.

"You don't remember anything?" Cubbi asked, "Not even your name?"

"No," she answered sadly, shaking her head.

"I'm sure it will come back to you," Grammi said reassuredly.

"But what should we call you until then?" Cubbi insisted.

"Rose," Gusto said, softly, "Because of your beautiful hair." Then he stopped suddenly and managed a laugh. "What I mean is that you hair is dark red, like some roses are. The red roses that is. Of course the red ones. Which other ones are red? You know what I mean." He blushed slightly.

"Rose," she repeated, "I like it." Her beautiful smile widened as she looked at him.

Sunni looked from Rose to Gusto. She recognized the look on Rose's face well enough; she had gazed upon Gusto the same way before – but why did Gusto have to go and return it? He had never looked at her like that and that silly laugh and blushing was even worse. Before she realized it, a tear welled up in her right eye, but she wiped away quickly so that only Grammi noticed.

"Are you an artist or a writer?" Rose suddenly asked Gusto.

He seemed amazed. "I'm an artist," he said, "but how did you know that?"

She blushed slightly. "Your hands," she answered, "the fingers are long, almost graceful, but still strong. That's the sign of someone that paints or writes. I've always envied others with talent like that, so I guess that's why I usually notice it. I'm sort of strange that way."

"I don't think you're strange. I mean, you seem nice," He paused for a moment, "Would you like a tour?" he finally said, offering his arm to her.

"I'd like that," she said, taking his arm and allowing him to lead her down the hall.

As they walked off, Sunni turned and hurried back to her room. Slamming the door, she threw herself down on the bed, but she couldn't cry. She was too hurt for that. Although Gusto had never acknowledged any feelings towards her, she still felt like he was her's somehow. She hugged her pillow, growing angrier with Rose as each second passed. They had found Rose and had brought her here. It was Grammi and her who had helped to wash and brush her hair and Grammi had found that dress for her: a beautiful white dress with a heart shaped neckline and puffy sleeves. Yet, Rose had turned around and flashed that beautiful smile of hers at Gusto (her Gusto!) and now was walking arm and arm with him.

She threw aside her pillow and walked over to the mirror. She was being silly. Gusto was not hers nor had he ever been. To him she was just a kid and it was doubtful he would ever see her as anything else. Besides, she thought as she studied her reflection, how could she ever compete with Rose whose beauty seemed almost unreal. Sighing, she walked back over towards her bed, but she grabbed a stuffed toy along the way. The toy had been her favorite when she was younger, a plush mushroom doll she had called Mr. Mushy. She had placed him on the shelf years ago, deciding she was too old to be playing with stuffed toys, but now Mr. Mushy's stitched smile seemed to calm her. "What do you think about all this Mr. Mushy?" she asked.

Mr. Mushy didn't answer. He just kept smiling his blank stitched smile and staring at her with his dark painted-on eyes. "That's what I think too," she whispered, as she lay down on her bed.

Grammi stood outside of Sunni's bedroom, wondering if she should go in or not. Sunni had picked up on the attraction between Rose and Gusto, they all had, but Sunni was the only one with an active crush on their resident artist. She wanted to go in and talk to Sunni, but what was she to say? If Grammi mentioned that she had known of Sunni's feelings, that would only make matters worse. Sunni would not only have had her heart broken, but she would also learn that her secret crush hadn't been a secret. Grammi remembered how it was for her at Sunni's age; you think all of your feelings are so well hidden when in truth you might as well have them written across your forehead. "Sunni," Grammi said, knocking on the door slightly.

"Yes," Sunni answered, her voice sounded somewhat strained.

Grammi opened the door and found Sunni lying on the bed, but at least she wasn't crying. "Do you want to come in and help me with dinner?" she asked. It wasn't what she wanted to say, but at least it was a start.

Sunni seemed to consider it for a moment. "No," she finally answered, "I'm tired from picking those berries today. I think I'll go to bed early."

"You're not going to eat?"

"No. I just want to rest."

Grammi looked at her for a few minutes. "Okay, but you shouldn't skip meals. If you get hungry later, come to the kitchen and I'm sure we can find something. Maybe we'll fix something together and we can talk if you want."

"Thanks," Sunni said, trying to smile, "but I'll probably stay in here tonight."

"You get a good night's sleep, sweetheart," Grammi added, "And, if you ever want to talk I'm always ready to listen."

"Okay. Good night, Grammi."

"Good night, dear."

Grammi closed the door and made her way back towards the kitchen. This was quite a situation. At first, she had wanted to be mad at Gusto. After all he was aware, at least partly, of Sunni's feelings towards him. Yet, Grammi realized that Gusto hadn't hurt Sunni on purpose. He was unthoughted at times but not unfeeling. Once, she had remarked to Gruffi that it was hard to tell where Gusto's head was at times, but his heart was in the right place. It just seemed that Gusto had been so immediately attracted to Rose that he hadn't thought about anyone else. Not that Grammi could blame him for that either: Rose was beautiful. Grammi herself couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy towards the girl. Sighing, she entered the kitchen and began the preparations of cooking.

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Gusto awoke early, but his behavior was unlike anything Artie had ever seen. First, he set up an easel and canvas and arranged his paint just so – but he had yet to paint the first stroke. He just kept talking about what he was going to paint. Then, he got out his hammer and chisel and pulled a huge slab of stone from the back room. He was going to make a new statue he said, but he just stood their holding the tools as if he suddenly forgotten how to use them. Then he remembered he was going to paint but he wanted to work on the statue and instead of getting anything done he just ran back and forth. Plus, he kept laughing that strange nervous laugh and he was blushing so much from beneath his blue fur, his cheeks appeared to be purple. One thing was very obvious.

He was a Gummi in love.

Artie had only met Rose briefly the other day: he had opted not to go on Gusto's little tour. Even he had to admit that she was pretty, but he could never imagine that Gusto would had fallen so far so fast. It would have been funny if it wasn't so scary.

Finally, Gusto decided it was time to go to Gummi Glen, so he raced off and Artie could barely keep up. As he ran into the dining hall, Rose was not there and it was obvious Gusto was disappointed. He was just about to sit down to wait, when Grammi came into the room.

"Gusto," she began, "Can I speak to you for a moment." She motioned for him to follow her into the kitchen.

"What did you want to talk about?" Gusto asked after he had followed her.

Grammi seemed uncertain how to begin. "You really like Rose, don't you?" she asked.

Gusto's blush deepened as he smiled widely. "Yeah," he answered, "I do. I really do."

Grammi didn't return the smile. "That's, uh, great," she said, "but would you mind to tone it down a bit?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Sunni of course…" Grammi began.

At the mention of Sunni's name, Gusto's face fell. "I didn't think about that," he interrupted, "Is she okay?"

"Yes," Grammi said, "Well, she was hurt, but she will be okay." She paused as she laid her hand on Gusto's shoulder. "Look, I'm glad you like Rose. She seems nice. And it's not your fault that Sunni, well, you know. Just, take it easy in front of Sunni. Please?"

"Of course," Gusto answered, "I don't want to hurt her. I'm really sorry that I did. Still…" His voice trailed off and Grammi knew his thoughts had turned to his new love.

"You'd better go in and sit down," Grammi instructed, "And let me finish breakfast."

"Sure," he said, turning around to go.

Grammi watched him leave, wondering how long he would remember what she had asked him.

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Breakfast went as smoothly as could be expected. True to his word, Gusto didn't sit next to Rose, but instead sat between Tummi and Zummi. Nor did he stare at her throughout the meal and he only spoke enough to be polite. This change seemed to upset Rose who watched Gusto continually throughout the meal. Sunni tried to ignore all of this, but her gaze kept moving from Gusto to Rose.

After breakfast, Rose made her way over to Gusto and Grammi could hear them talking in quiet tones. No doubt, Gusto was explaining his behavior, but Grammi was sure that Rose would understand. After all, Rose had probably been in Sunni's shoes before.

Gruffi stood up and looked at the others. "We need to get started picking the berries again," he announced, "I want to get done today. Gusto, we could use your help this time, as well."

Gusto nodded and started to say something, but Rose interrupted. "But he was going to sculpt me today," she said, her voice rising slightly.

Gruffi seemed surprised at the interruption. "He can sculpt you later," he responded, "Right now, we really need those berries. We would appreciate your help too, if you feel like it."

"She doesn't have to help," Gusto spoke up, "I'll work enough for both of us."

"That's okay, Augustus," Rose said, "I don't care to help."

"Gusto," Sunni mumbled more to herself than to the others, "He prefers Gusto."

Rose whirled to face Sunni and for the briefest moment there was anger upon her face, but it was gone almost as soon as it had appeared. "I prefer calling him Augustus," she said, leaning closer to him, "It sounds more dignified and romantic."

Gusto seemed uncomfortable with Rose's answer as he looked at Sunni almost apologetically. "It doesn't really matter to me," he finally said, "Uh, shouldn't we get started with the harvest?"

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The night before, Sunni had made up her mind that she would try and be nice to Rose. After all, if Gusto liked her, Sunni should try to be polite – but things are a whole lot different in the light of day. Sunni didn't care if Rose was the next candidate for Sainthood: she didn't like her. Besides, there was something not quite right with her.

Sunni couldn't put her finger on it, and part of her had to admit it might be jealousy. Yet, Rose had been leaning so close when she had insisted that she preferred 'Augustus,' as if flaunting the fact that he was hers. Plus, there was the anger she had seen briefly on Rose's face, like a cloud briefly covering the sun. Sunni hadn't even been talking to her at the time. She was mostly talking to herself.

However, even Sunni couldn't accuse Rose of being lazy. She tore into the berry bushes like a wild animal, picking every ripe berry in sight. Gruffi had commented that they would be done before lunch at this rate, but even he had tried to get Rose to slow down. She had grown pale and the others were worried that she might be doing too much. Yet, she cheerfully insisted she was fine and continued on at her rapid pace. By the time that Grammi was going to go to the Glen to fix their next meal, all the berries had been harvested.

"I can't believe we got done so fast," Cubbi said, looking at the full baskets of berries.

"Neither can I," Zummi said, "That just goes to show you what a little teamwork can accomplish."

Rose snuggled up to Gusto as he walked. "Now you can do that sculpture you promised me," she practically purred.

"Now?" Gusto seemed amazed, "but we just got done working. Aren't you tired?"

"Besides," Grammi spoke up, "We need to eat; especially you, Rose. You're looking a little pale."

"Don't worry," Gusto added, "I'll get started on it later this evening. I work fast."

Briefly, the dark look passed over Rose's face once more, but passed so quickly it as if it had been merely imagined. Sunni amended her first mental description of the dark look: it wasn't a cloud passing over the sun. It was more like a thunderstorm.

"Okay," Rose said, "but I can barely wait to watch you work. No doubt, it's an amazing thing."

"Well, I hope you think it's amazing," Gusto responded.

Before Rose had come, Gusto had always been so confident in his art. He was good and he knew he was good, yet now he spoke as if he was afraid that she would not like his work. This lack of his usual self-confidence gave Sunni another reason not to like Rose as they walked into the Glen.

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As he promised, he delivered. After they had eaten, Rose followed Gusto back to his dwelling behind the waterfall and she didn't return until late that night. All the others were in bed, but Sunni was still awake and heard the door to Rose's room open and shut. After breakfast, she returned to his place once more so that he could continue his work. Later that day, he had Tummi help him carry the statue into the Glen.

It was truly the most beautiful statue Gusto had ever carved. Rose was the subject, of course, standing there in her white dress. An invisible breeze was blowing, gently moving the dress as the ringlets in her hair bounced in the wind. Her right hand was near her cheek, as if gently moving one stray strand of her scarlet hair from her face. Somehow the statue had not only captured the ethereal beauty that Rose possessed, but seem to glow with the same inner light. All of Gusto's statues were good, but this one was beyond anything even he had ever created before. It was a masterpiece among masterpieces.

Rose marveled openly at the statue, her eyes sparkling as if filled with crushed diamonds. The paleness the others had noticed just the day before was gone and if anything she looked more alive and even more radiant. Gusto was now the one who looked drained and tired.

He wasn't admiring the statue as he usually did after finishing a project. Instead, he was sitting quietly at the table, his tired eyes looking glazed and distant. He was smiling, but even his smile seemed to lack its usual warmth and energy.

"This is amazing, Gusto," Grammi said, "Even for you. Did you stay up all night working on it?"

Gusto stretched his arms above his head and yawned. "Most of it," he admitted.

"I thought so," she said, "You looked like you're about to fall asleep sitting there. You need to rest."

"But I can't rest now!" Gusto exclaimed, jumping to his feet, "I have so many new projects I need to work on – new creations! There's so many ideas just whirling around in my head! I've never been inspired like this before!" A strange almost mad look gleamed in his eyes as he continued to rant while leaving the Glen. Rose followed him, a small smile adorning her face. As she walked past, Grammi took hold of Rose's arm.

"Try and get him to rest," Grammi whispered, "You know he needs it."

Rose's eyes narrowed slightly. "But I can't get in the way of his genius," she replied, "If he wants to create; who am I to stop him? I'm sure he knows his limits." Her self-satisfied smile never left her face as she shook off Grammi's arm and continued to follow Gusto.

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Night came and no one besides Rose had seen Gusto since he had brought the statue to the Glen. The statue was still in the dining room, the beautiful, immortalized version of Rose forever brushing the strand of hair away as she watched over everything. Although the statue's eyes were blank, Sunni couldn't help but feel they were still watching all of them mockingly. She shivered as she prepared for bed. "I don't like any of this," she mumbled.

"What's to like?" a voice asked. Artie flew through her open door and landed on her nightstand. "You are talking about Rose, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah I was," Sunni admitted, "But what are you doing here?"

Artie sighed loudly. "Three's a crowd," he said, sadly, "I knew I couldn't hang around there when Gusto was working on the statue. That was almost an unspoken law, but now it looks like I'm not welcome around at all."

"What happened?" Sunni asked, "Did you have a fight with Gusto?"

"Not Gusto," Artie clarified, "Rose. Gusto had went to get some more paint and she took me aside and said that I was 'distracting Gusto from his full creative genius.' I told her that was silly because I've been around Gusto for a long time, but it became clear that she didn't want me there. I guess I could have told Gusto, but that might have caused an argument. Rose wanted me gone and whatever little Miss Rosie wants she gets. I doubt that Gusto will even notice." He sighed again, "I know how silly it all sounds, but I feel like I lost him. What I mean is, he's my friend but now I just feel like an intruder."

Sunni gave him a sympathetic smile. "Would you like to stay here tonight?"

"Could I?" Artie inquired.

"Sure," Sunni said, "You know you're always welcome here." She had started to say, 'that's what friends are for' but thought that it might just remind Artie of his problems with Gusto.

"Thanks," Artie responded and flew to the top of the mirror on the nightstand. After a few minutes, he had settled himself and fell into a light sleep.

"Good night, Artie," Sunni whispered as she lay down, but she wasn't trying to fall asleep. She had already decided she was going to wait for Rose. Maybe it was foolish, but she was going to talk to her. She wasn't sure what she was going to say just yet, but she still wanted to talk to her. Maybe something would come to her later.

Quietly, Sunni waited in the dark as she listened for Rose to return. She tried to stay awake, but with each passing second her eyelids grew heavier. She had almost fallen completely asleep, when she heard the soft creaking of Rose's door. Jumping up, she silently thanked Gruffi for not oiling Rose's door yet as she hurried out of her room.

Standing outside of Rose's door, she hesitated with her fist raised and prepared to knock. She still had no idea of what she was going to say. Although her complaints against Rose were numerous, the only thing Sunni was aware that Rose had actually done was her mistreatment of Artie. Shaking her head, Sunni started to turn away when she heard Rose talking softly.

Leaning closer, Sunni listened carefully but couldn't quite understand the words. As quietly as she could, Sunni opened the door slightly and looked inside, but all she saw was Rose standing there alone. She was still mumbling as she ran her hand through her scarlet curls and –

Wait a second! Sunni's eyes grew wide as her heart leapt into her throat. That wasn't a hand that Rose was running through her hair but rather a gnarled, misshapen claw. The blackened nails continued to tug at the strands of hair as Sunni involuntarily gasped.

The figured whirled towards Sunni as if it had heard her gasp. This was not Rose. It wasn't even a Gummi Bear. This creature appeared to be little more than a skeleton with flaps of skin wrapped loosely about. The eyes were two tiny pinpoints of blackness and the jagged teeth gnashed within the bony jaw. Only the hair remained the same, but now the beautiful red curls looked out of place. It was as if someone had placed a vibrant wig upon a corpse. 

Sunni screamed and staggered backwards, falling down into the hall. The creature started towards her, but Sunni wasted no time in struggling to her feet and running down the hallway. "Help!" she cried, "Help me! Grammi! Gruffi! Help!" She could hear the hollow footsteps as the creature pursued her. "Help!" Sunni yelled again, tripping over a small corner of the hall rug only to land in Grammi's arms.

"Sunni," Grammi said, "What's wrong?"

"It's Rose," Sunni managed, "She's some sort of monster."

"What's going on?" Gruffi demanded.

"Rose is a monster!" Sunni repeated, "I saw her!"

"What did you see?" an insanely calm voice inquired.

Sunni whirled around and saw Rose standing there looking as normal and beautiful as always. By now, Zummi, Cubbi, Tummi and even Artie had gathered in the hall. 

"That must have been some nightmare," Zummi said.

"It was no nightmare," Sunni insisted, as she stepped towards Rose. "What are you really?"

"I'm just me," Rose responded, smiling, "Just little ol' Rose."

"That's not your name," Sunni retorted, "That's just what Gusto said we should call you."

Rose's eyes widened and briefly Sunni saw the anger burning there like a wildfire, but then she dropped her face sadly. "That is true," she said, sounding as if she was about to cry, "I don't know my name." A few tears coursed down her cheeks.

"I'm surprised at you, Sunni," Grammi said, shaking her head causing the curlers in her hair to click against each other. "I know you that the nightmare must have been frightening, but that's no reason to lash out against Rose."

"But, I," Sunni began.

"We should get back to bed," Gruffi stated, "It's foolish to be standing around the hall at this hour because of a dream." The others mumbled their agreement as started back towards their rooms, leaving Grammi and Sunni alone in the hall.

"Why can't you believe me?" Sunni asked.

"Honey, I know you're upset," Grammi said, "I should have talked to you sooner. You have to understand, you can't take your frustrations out on Rose just because the way you feel about Gusto."

Sunni's eyes widened with surprise. "What do you mean about the way I feel about Gusto?" Her heart began pounding again in her chest.

Grammi smiled softly. "You may find it hard to believe, but I was your age once too," she said, "I know these are hard times but…"

"You don't understand!" Sunni interrupted, "That's not it. I _was_ jealous of Rose, but I really did see something tonight. I opened the door to talk to her and she was some sort of monster. It looked like her skin was rotting off or something. You have to believe me!"

"I believe you had a horrible nightmare," Grammi said, "And I know how real nightmares can be at times, but that's all it was."

"No," Sunni mumbled, tears welling up in her eyes, "No."

"I'm sure things will look different after a good night's sleep," Grammi continued, "We'll talk more about it in the morning. Now, go on back to bed and try to rest." Yawning, Grammi turned and made her way back to her own bedroom.

Sunni stood alone in the hallway for a few minutes, not knowing what to do. She was in no hurry to go back to bed – there was no way she was going to be able sleep and her bedroom was next to Rose's. She walked in the other direction until she came to a small ornate mirror in the hall. There wasn't much light, but Sunni could still see a ghostly image of her reflection. "Mirror, mirror," she whispered, followed a short laugh that was completely without humor.

What had she seen? Was she dreaming? Sunni didn't think so because she could not remember waking up at any point. If it was a dream, she would have had to wake up or else she was still dreaming. "What if all of this is a nightmare?" Sunni whispered.

"You don't know how right you are," a crackling voice hissed in her ear.

Sunni started to spin around, but suddenly, strong, sinewy hands were wrapped about her neck and face. She could feel the pressure of a ragged nail at the side of her face and she knew that she was in the embrace in the creature they called Rose. Rancid breath fell in hot waves upon Sunni's neck, as she tried not to tremble for she had looked into the mirror.

There was no one reflected other than herself.

"What are you?" Sunni asked.

"That is really none of your concern. I recommend that you forget everything you saw tonight if you would like to remain alive." The voice was as ancient as the bony hands that held Sunni motionless.

"What are you doing to Gusto?" Sunni demanded, trying to keep her voice steady.

There was soft, unpleasant laugh that sounded like dry fall leaves crackling underfoot. "I am helping him. The works he will create will be the greatest of his life and so very delicious. His works will give him a sort of immortality even though he shall be dead."

"You're killing him," Sunni realized, "But why? What has he done?"

"As I said before, that is none of you concern, but do stay out of my way. If not, who knows what I might do? The death that awaits him now is a pleasant sleep, but if you cross me I will destroy him in ways you can not even imagine. The pain would be exquisite and eternal."

"I'll tell him," Sunni said, "I'll tell him what you really are."

"You must know he won't believe you. The others wouldn't believe you and I have no connection with them. Besides, Augustus chose this fate when he chose to love me." She laughed again. "Now, be a good little girl and stay out of my way." The hands loosened their grip from about Sunni's neck and face.

Sunni spun around, "No," she stated, but there was no one there. She was completely alone in the hall. Turning back around she faced the mirror image of herself. "I have to stop her," she told the reflection, "And I will. Somehow."

Her words echoed hollowly in the hallway and in that moment she had never felt so determined.

Or so helpless.

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Once, a witch had entered Dunwyn disguised as a beautiful woman. Sunni had seen the witch enter the kingdom, and tried to warn Calla but the witch had already enchanted everyone in the castle. The witch was even about to marry King Gregor. Sunni attempted many times to tell Calla the truth, but Calla was influenced by the witch's spell and refused to listen. The witch almost cost the two their friendship. Yet, in the end Sunni had won. The witch's true identity was revealed and the spell was broken. Like a fairy tale – they all lived happily ever after. The end.

This situation was similar except for one crucial element. Sunni had found that the witch had a weakness; sugar. She had allowed the witch to chase her right into the wedding cake, which revealed the hag for what she really was.

Rose had to have a weakness, but Sunni didn't have the slightest clue what it was. She watched her carefully the next day and noted, with disappointment that Rose did have reflection. It seemed that only when she was in her 'creature' form she didn't appear in mirrors. So, holding a mirror in front of her to prove to the others that she was a monster was out of the question. Still, there had to be a way.

Yet, Sunni knew that she didn't have a lot of time to keep looking. Gusto came to the Glen that morning with five brand-new, exceptional paintings. He no longer looked a little tired and drained – he looked extremely ill. His eyes appeared sunken and he had lost some weight. Everyone, except Rose, seemed worried about his condition, but Gusto said he was fine. 

"In fact," he added, "I have a great idea for a huge masterpiece. After I get that done, I'll rest for a bit."

"Yes," Rose cooed, "You need your rest." She looked directly at Sunni. "A nice long rest."

Sunni's time was running out and she knew it as she hurried towards the library. As usual, Zummi was reading from the Great Book when she entered. The old Gummi wizard turned to face her and smiled. "Hello, Sunni," he greeted.

"Hi," she said, managing a smile, "Uh, Calla and I are working on a scary story, so I was wondering if you have any books about monsters and such." She hated to lie, but she needed the books and she knew she couldn't tell Zummi what the information was really for.

"A scary story?" Zummi repeated, "That explains that terrible nightmare you had last night."

"I guess I scared myself a little," Sunni replied, "So, do you have any books I can use."

"There are some here," Zummi answered, "What kind of monster are you interested in?"

"Vampires," Sunni stated, without thinking.

"Well, there's a book here that's sort of a reference guide to monsters," Zummi said, "Let me see." He searched the shelves for a few minutes while Sunni waited impatiently. "Here it is," he announced, pulling a huge book off the shelf and placing it on a nearby table.

"Thanks," Sunni said, running her hand over the book's worn cover.

"This book should help you," Zummi added, "but if you need any more help, just ask me. I'm going to the kitchen for a minute, but I'll be back later. Don't bother butting the pook back, putting the book back. I'll do that later. Oh, and don't you have anymore nightmares." He laughed as walked away, leaving Sunni alone with the book

Sunni wasn't sure why she had said vampires when Zummi had asked her what kind of monster. After all, Rose didn't fit the stereotypes of the vampire: she slept at night and went out during the day, she didn't have fangs, and Sunni didn't think she could turn into a bat. The creature she had seen looked more like what you would think of a zombie than a vampire. Yet, there were things that fit. Maybe Rose wasn't drinking Gusto's blood, but she did seem to be draining him. Rose had appeared pale at first, but now she was full of life while Gusto became pale and tired. Determined, Sunni opened the book and looked up 'vampire.'

The information in the book was more discouraging than helpful. According to the book, there had never been a determined case of vampirism in anyone and there had never even been a suspected case in a Gummi. Besides, Rose simply did not fit the criteria.

Sunni was about to close the book, when a small notation caught her eye. At the end of the section of vampires it said, "See Red Vampire." Red Vampire? Sunni had never heard of such of thing, but still she turned the pages until she found the proper entry and, as she read the information, her blood ran cold.

The Red Vampire, sometimes called Banpaia Kurieetibu which literally means 'Creative Vampire', was an old legend that always seemed to return to the limelight ever fifty years or so. The first account told of a young, beautiful woman with red hair who appeared in a town. She was dirty and ragged and told that she had no knowledge of who she was. The town took pity on her and many of the men found her beauty alluring. She soon attached herself to a writer in the town and it seemed to be love. The writer began creating the best works of his life, but mysteriously died soon after. Although there was blood in his body, he still seemed as if he had been drained. The girl was no where to be found. The name Red Vampire was given because of the girl's bright red hair.

After this story was told, many other towns came forward with similar tales. Although there were differences, such as the girl's story, it always consisted of a beautiful red-haired girl who attached herself to a creative individual like a writer or an artist. Then, the individual would hit the peak of the creativity but would mysteriously die and the girl would disappear. There had even been one reported incident of a Red Vampire posing as a Gummi.

It looked like Rose was a Red Vampire and right now she was feeding on Gusto's creative energy. Once he finished this next painting, he would probably be dead, but Sunni wasn't about to just sit around and let that happen. Quickly, she read the rest of the entry, hoping something like garlic would be all that was needed, but it wasn't quite easy. It rarely is. Sunni took a deep breath as she realized what she had to do in order to stop Rose.

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Gusto was tired. His head ached and he had trouble focusing his eyes. Yet, as he looked at the large canvas in front of him, he knew he had to finish this one last painting before he could rest. He turned to smile at Rose, her beautiful face seeming to give him strength and she returned the smile.

The painting he had begun was going to be his most ambitious to date. It consisted of a Gummi that he had invented and was going to follow him imaginary life from birth until death. In a descending spiraling path, there were 25 different images of the Gummi symbolizing different stages of life and around each of these figures, were depictions of what would be going on in his life during that time. There were other Gummies: his parents, siblings, friends, lovers, and enemies all interacting accordingly. At the very bottom of the painting the Gummi, who was now quite old, was about to accept a kiss from a beautiful red-haired girl that looked a lot like Rose. The girl was Death and the kiss, although sweet, would draw the last of his life from his body.

"This will be your greatest painting ever," Rose said, leaning against Gusto's back.

"I hope so," Gusto replied, "but I'm so tired right now."

"You can rest soon, my love," Rose whispered softly, her breath tickling his neck.

Gusto smiled, but soon a sneeze caught him by surprise. He sneezed unto the portrait and was surprised to see tiny red drops now scattered along the bottom. Rubbing his nose, he found that it was bleeding slightly. "I got blood on the painting," he said, his voice distant.

"That makes it even better," Rose said, "That's just the red strokes of death."

"Red strokes? What do you mean?"

"Never mind. Just finish your glorious painting so that you can rest."

Gusto raised his brush to continue, but Artie suddenly flew into the room and interrupted him. The anger flashed in Rose's face again, but Gusto did not notice it. "Gusto," Artie panted, "You have to come quick! It's Sunni!"

"Sunni? What's wrong with Sunni?" Gusto asked.

"You have to come!" Artie yelled, "I think Sunni jumped off one of the cliffs of Tranquil Peak. The others are looking for her."

"What?" Gusto cried, throwing down his brush, and running after Artie, "Why would she do that?"

"Augustus," Rose called, "What about your painting?"

"There's no time for that!" He replied, "Sunni's more important! Come on we have to see if she's okay!"

For a brief instant, Rose's face seemed to ripple, but Gusto didn't notice it. Angrily, she followed after Gusto as she mumbled to herself.

"Why would Sunni jump?" Gusto demanded as he ran.

"She came to me," Artie answered, "and she started saying that Rose was some sort of vampire."

"Vampire?" Gusto seemed confused.

"I know it's strange, but that's what she said," Artie answered, "I told her she was being silly, but she wouldn't listen. Then she said that there had to be some sort of sacrifice – that the sight of blood would make Rose show her true form or something."

"That's foolish," Rose said, but her voice sounded unsure.

"I know," Artie agreed, "Then she ran up to Tranquil Peak and said she was going to jump from the highest peak. I tried to stop her, but I couldn't, so I flew back here as fast as I could to get the others. I thought you'd want to come too."

"Thanks," Gusto said, "Now let's hurry!"

Without saying another word, they hurried to Tranquil Peak. The others were already there and were searching for Sunni. She wasn't on the highest peak, so now they were searching a wide ledge several feet below. If she had jumped, she probably would have landed here, but so far there was no sign of her. They continued to look, none of them wanting to look at the main bottom of the peak. If she had fallen all the way to the bottom, there was little chance for survival. Even with Gummi Berry Juice, the fall was so high it would be hard to escape injury.

They continued searching for several hours, but no one had found a trace of her. "I'm going to the bottom," Gruffi said, sadly, "And look down there."

"But if she fell all the way down there," Grammi began.

"Don't even think that way!" Gusto yelled, trying not to cry.

"We should just go back, Augustus," Rose prompted.

"We can't go until we find Sunni!" Gusto responded.

"I bet that little brat just pretended she was going to jump," Rose hissed, "She's just trying to get between us you know! She always was!"

Gusto spun around to face Rose angrily. "How dare you say that! I can't believe you!"

Rose's face changed slightly so that even Gusto noticed it. She seemed older somehow; almost ancient. "But it's true!" she growled, "We need to go back. You have to finish your painting!"

"I'm not leaving until we find Sunni!"

Suddenly Rose's face seemed to split apart and her beautiful appearance cracked and fell to the ground like an old Halloween mask. With a roar, she lunged at Gusto and wrapped her bony hands around his throat. "You love me!" the Rose creature spat, "You love me and you will be mine!" Gusto tried to push her away, but the horrible creature continued to choke him.

"Get your hands off of him!" Sunni yelled, as she jumped out of an overhead cave where she had been hiding. She had a branch in her hands swung it at the creature like a baseball bat. She hit its body solidly and sent it flying into a nearby tree where it collapsed in a bony decaying heap.

"Sunni!" Grammi cried, "You're okay!"

"And you saved me," Gusto managed, still coughing slightly.

"But why did you do all this?" Gruffi asked.

"When I found out what Rose was," Sunni explained, "I knew there was only one way to stop her so I…"

"Look out!" Artie yelled.

They all turned but before anyone could react the creature lunged at Sunni. The momentum pushed them both back and over the edge of the cliff. The creature was falling with her, but when they hit the bottom they would both be dead. She started to cry slightly. She had saved Gusto at least, although she didn't want to die. It was a shame she had forgotten to bring any Gummi Berry Juice with her.

Suddenly, she felt two arms encircle her. Turning, she saw Gusto falling by her side. When she had gone over the edge, Gusto had jumped after her and now he was holding her in his arms. "Gusto," she said, softly.

He smiled at her as he produced his own bottle of juice. "Just hold on tight," he instructed, "I have to let go. It's a little tricky drinking something when you falling." 

She returned the smile and held onto to him tightly, burying her face in his chest as he carefully drank the Gummi Berry Juice. Even with that done, there was no guarantee that they would survive. "I love you," Sunni whispered too softly for Gusto to hear. Together, they fell neither of them saying a word as they just held on to each other. 

Their fall was broken when they landed in the branches of a large tree. They bounced up from the tree, and landed back down on the ground only slightly harder than usual. For a few minutes, Sunni stayed in Gusto's arms surprised to be alive and enjoying being held. "Are you okay?" Gusto asked.

Sunni nodded and allowed Gusto to help her to her feet. Nearby, the creature that had been Rose lay in a crumbled broken heap. "It's finally over," she said.

"Do you think so?"

She looked up at him and smiled. "I know so!" Above the them, from the steely gray cloud the first few flakes of an early snow began to fall.

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Back at the Glen, Sunni explained how she had learned that Rose was a Red Vampire, and the others were apologetic about not believing her before. According to the book, a Red Vampire survived by connecting with someone and draining their creative energy. The only way for such a creature to be defeated was for the person they were connected with to think negative, black thoughts towards the creature.

"So, that's when you decided to pretend you had jumped?" Grammi asked.

"I know it was sort of mean," Sunni answered, "but I figured that Rose wanted for Gusto to keep painting. I was just hoping that Gusto would defy her and come to look for me."

"And why wouldn't I?" Gusto demanded.

"Well," Sunni said, "She did have you under some sort of enchantment. Besides, there was no guarantee she'd come with you, but I was hoping she would."

"Sunni really told me she was planning on jumping," Artie spoke up.

"I wanted to make it believable," admitted Sunni.

"So what do we do now?" Cubbi asked.

"Well, I know what I'm going to do," Gusto replied, "I'm going to destroy all those paintings and that sculpture I made. Now that I look at 'em, they don't look all that great to me. Of course, I don't think I'm going to working on anything for awhile." He held up his right hand, which was bandaged. When they had landed in the tree, he had sprained his right wrist. It wasn't serious, but it would probably curtail his artistic activities for awhile.

"And, we don't have to worry about Rose anymore," Sunni added.

"Yeah," Gusto agreed, "We'll never have to worry about her again." He walked over to Sunni and patted her on the head. "Thanks. I think you saved my life. You're a pretty good kid."

Sunni smiled. She didn't really even care to be called a kid, not much anyway. She had saved Gusto - her Gusto. That was the most important thing right now. She would worry about the details later.

****

The End

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First off, I know there is a Garth Brooks song of the same title as this story and I actually did that on purpose. I originally thought about putting a few lyrics of the song at the beginning of the story, but later decided against it. Red Strokes just seemed to fit as the title.

Secondly, I have a feeling that someone will be disappointed that I didn't let Sunni 'end up' with Gusto at the end. Truthfully, since this story is really based on Sunni's feelings towards Gusto even when these feelings are not reciprocated, just letting Gusto to suddenly return these feelings would somehow undermine the story itself. Of course, that's just my opinion.

Thanks to all of those who have read my story J 


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